Baseball
Features
MLB looks to get aggressive with virtual advertising
Faced with the loss of nearly two-thirds of the regular season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MLB and its clubs are significantly expanding the frequency and locations for virtual advertising this season.
RSNs look to MLB intrasquad games as key source of new content, preparation for upcoming season
What previously were just MLB practice sessions unseen by fans have become an important source of content for clubs and their regional sports networks, and have helped broadcast production crews prepare for the regular season
MLB clubs look to reinvent fan experience in empty ballparks
With no attending fans for the upcoming start of the 2020 MLB season, many clubs are employing new tools to retain fan engagement and in-ballpark energy
Japanese sport sets out on the long road back
Japan’s biggest domestic sports league, Nippon Professional Baseball, commenced its 2020 season on June 19 following a three-month delay due to Covid-19.
MLB looks for audience lift in reformatted Draft
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic helped lead to a dramatic reduction in the number of rounds for the MLB Draft. But the league and its media partners are still hoping for lift among a competition-starved fan base
NPB to admit more fans as Japan relaxes spectator limit
Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball league will admit increased numbers of fans to its games from this weekend, following the Japanese government's relaxation of Covid-19 spectator limits
MLB finalizes plan for neutral-site postseason
Latter three rounds of playoffs to be concentrated at ballparks in Texas, California
MLB, MLBPA near agreement to create postseason bubbles
Developing plan designed to stem against potential virus outbreaks
Cohen signs new deal to purchase New York Mets
Hedge fund billionaire poised to acquire MLB team in revived effort
Pair of small US towns suffer heavy blow from loss of marquee baseball events
The cancellation of the Baseball Hall of Fame's Induction Weekend and the Little League World Series this summer are leaving big economic holes in the small communities that play host to the marquee events.
KBO and K League create templates for the return of sport
Korea’s football and baseball leagues have published detailed guidelines governing their resumptions this week.
MLB makes big ticketing shift with new refund policy
The league makes a historic shift to allow refunds on games lost to Covid-19, creating widespread ripple effects across the industry. US Editor Eric Fisher reports.
MiLB standing at front lines of uncertainty, potential business peril from Covid-19 outbreak
With the vast majority of revenues for Minor League Baseball teams deriving from gate revenues and no games happening due to the Covid-19 outbreak, economic worries are growing. US Editor Eric Fisher reports.
Even amid game cancellations, MLB still has keen eye on Mexico
The United States' neighbor to the south is being increasingly viewed by Major League Baseball as a viable location for both regular-season games and perhaps an expansion franchise
Diamondbacks’ Hall seeks to forge new future for Chase Field
After gaining the legal right to look around Maricopa County for a new stadium, MLB club now focusing more of their efforts on current facility
SF Giants’ Scottsdale renovation marks latest step in Cactus League facility boom
Barry M. Bloom looks at the latest developments being made toward MLB's Spring Training facilities in the Greater Phoenix area. The area is the Spring Training home for half of MLB's 30 teams, with many playing in new or renovated facilities.
MLB’s new NYC headquarters reflects Manfred’s ‘One Baseball’ vision
Major League Baseball has its first official day at its new central headquarters on the Avenue of the Americas in New York on 6 January. Eric Fisher visits the new offices.
Miller’s Hall of Fame election has complex path both before and ahead
Barry M. Bloom looks at the story of how Marvin Miller, the late former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, has finally been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
MiLB president O’Conner elected to fourth term amid fractious MLB talks
Longtime executive and industry lifer to remain leading the affiliated minors. But with MLB looking to overhaul the very notion of Minor League Baseball, the job has never been more complex
Mariners seek to forge new ticketing ground with Flex Membership plan
Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners are examining the future of the season ticket, and seeing how they can offer fans more flexible options to watch their team.
Guarded optimism within MLB free agent market after two slow years
After two historically slow offseasons for MLB player movement that heightened tensions between the league and MLB Players Association, this fall and winter are expected to see more activity.
Astros look to move past World Series disappointment with several 2020 projects
The Houston Astros MLB team has big plans for its future, in spite of recent disappointment in the 2019 World Series and recent issues with a executive who was fired. Eric Fisher takes a look at the projects the team have in store.
MLB-MiLB negotiations look to redefine entire notion of minor leagues
Ongoing talks potentially present some of the largest organizational changes ever in baseball player development
Las Vegas’s minor league teams confirm city’s place as major league sports town
The city of Las Vegas is not immediately recognizable for its reputation as a sports hub. Bob Williams looks at how it is transitioning "from the entertainment capital of the world to the sports and entertainment capital of the world".
Rights to beloved Phillie Phanatic mascot in dispute after more than 40 years
Legal battle revives tension that previously existed between the MLB club and the design firm that helped create iconic character.
‘Brown as a bear’: Shock, awe and despair as prized autographs ruined by defective baseballs
Browning has marred thousands of once-valuable autographed baseballs, with the precise cause of the damage still unknown. Dennis Tuttle examines the impact on the baseball collectibles market
Mickey Mantle: In death, still king of the collectors’ world
Dead since 1995, the revered Hall of Famer still commands a lofty position among baseball memorabilia collectors
MLB aims to ‘democratize’ esports with inclusive push around Home Run Derby VR game
Major League Baseball's developing esports strategy, much more inclusive and based on a game title much simpler to play, veers heavily from other major US sports properties